The history of neckties dates back 300 years to a Croatian regiment which had just won a victory over Turkey. The regiment presented themselves to King Louis XIV wearing brightly colored silk handkerchiefs around their necks. The king was so impressed he created a regiment of Royal Cravats. Many variations have led to the present day necktie, an integral part of the wardrobe of men in certain parts of the world.
In addition to the tie itself, the method of tying ties has also evolved into the current three most used knot methods: the four-in-hand, the half-Windsor and the Windsor or full Windsor.
The necktie wearer has faced three problems related to the art of tying a necktie: efficiency, consistency and precision. These problems are exacerbated by the fact that depending upon the type of tie, especially its width, material thickness and material type, one needs to change either the type of knot which is used or the tightness of the knot in order to obtain an appropriate appearance. For example, with a thick material type tie, tying a full Windsor knot can often result in an unacceptably large knot. To overcome this, one may try to tighten the tie, however, doing so will often distort the shape of the knot. Alternatively, one may try to tie a four-in-hand or half-Windsor, however, tying these knots often results in a knot which is not symmetrical.
The inventions presently available such as that disclosed by Lizzaraga, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,772, help to teach the knot tying method so that the wearer can improve his technique in necktie knot tying. However, even with the Lizzaraga tool the necktie wearer still faces the problem of forming a proper knot. Various solutions to this problem have been attempted.
For example, some people attempt to hold the front knot portion while pulling on the frontal strand to prevent pulling the interior of the knot below the front of the knot. Holding the knot, however, creates tension variations which prevent the formation of a symmetrical knot. Alternatively, some may put their index finger in the final loop, holding it there as they pull down on the frontal strand. This second procedure is more effective than merely holding the front portion. However, using one's finger is inconvenient as it virtually incapacitates the use of the hand and, furthermore, if the necktie is pulled tight, it may be hard to extract one's finger without dislodging the knot. In addition, there is always a concern about catching a nail on the tie and causing a pull which can occur very easily, especially with silk ties. Accordingly, the current invention was developed in order to solve these problems.